Carriage drive mechanism



July 4, 1933.. c. A. MACOMIC CARRIAGE DRIVE MECHANISM Filed Dec. 15, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 D n a u u a a u n Patented July 4, 1933 crrns'rnn A. MACOMIC,

CARRIAGE DRIVE MECHANISM PATENT? CFFICE OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Application filed December 15, 1928. Serial No. 326,180.

My invention relates to improvements. in

carriage drive mechanism for line casting machines, printing machines and the like and has for one object to provide a connection whereby one movable carriage or element may be propelled in response to and in unison with the movement of another and whereby the two carriages or moving elements may be given a selective differentiated movelo ment. Another object is to provide an ap paratus whereby the relative positions of the carriages or movable elements may be adjusted.

, My invention is primarily applicable to a type casting or printing machine wherein a typewriter is used as the operating or controlling mechanism and wherein the movement of the typewriter carriage is relied upon to move a second so-called plunger carriage whereby separate lines of pattern setting mechanisms may be controlled by the manipulation of the typewriter. For this purpose, it is necessary to have a driving connection which will permit the typewriter carriage movement to displace the plunger carriage in the present instance in the opposite direction from the movement of the typewriter carriage and if necessary through a different increment of travel for each step of the typewriter carriage because under,

some conditions it may be necessary to use the typewriter, the space between whose let- 'ters is fixed to set type or to select matrices for casting type of different widths than those written by the typewriter. Other objects will appear from time to time in the specification and claims.

My invention is illustrated more or less 40 diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a plan view of so much of a type casting machine as is necessary to illustrate my invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of thedevice shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section along the line 44 of Figure 3.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout.

A is a supporting frame for a type casting machine. A is a pattern bed. It has a plurality of pattern pins A projecting upwardly therefrom, is mounted on supporting plungers A and may be moved toward and from the bed A, the idea being that this pattern bed has a series of rows of pins, there being one row for each stop in the typewriter carriage and the pins in each row represent all the characters in the font of type of the typewriter. Any one of these pins in a row being depressed will serve as a stop or selecting.

means to stop a matrix strip or a printing bar and thereby select it for use in connection with printing or type casting.

B is a plunger carriage. It has a row of plungers B extending longitudinally. The carriage itself is movable laterally along the guide bar B sothat the carriage may be brought successively into cooperation with individual lines of pattern or stop pins.

Means are provided not here shown as they form no part of the present invention, to manipulate the various plungers in the plunger carriage to cause them to depress selected pattern pins.

B is a type writer having a carriage B and it is desired to connect the carriage B of the typewriter and the plunger carriage B so as to cause them to operate together. The typewriter stands upon a frame 13 which overlies the pattern bed and the plungercarriage and is for purposes of convenience in assembly and inspection provided with hinges B pivoted on a hinge bar B, the space between the hinges, the hinge bar and the body of the frame being open to permit the connecting mechanism to extend therethrough.

Projecting upwardly from the frame B intermediate the typewriter and the back of the frame is a bracket C. This bracket terminates in an inclined arm C It will be noted that this arm is inclined to the horizontal and also diagonal with respect to the travel of the two carriages as indicated especially in Figure 1. This inclined arm or fulcrum pad and support C has a plurality of threaded holes C extending along the axis thereof. C is a lever having aplurality of holes C spaced along the axis thereof. The threaded pin C with knurled head C may be inserted selectively through any one of the holes C in the lever and screwed into any one of the holes C in the arm C so as to change not merely the position of the fulcrum of the lever but the distance between the two ends of the lever and the fulcrum. C is a link pivoted at one end on the lever and at the other end on the arm C projecting upwardly from the plunger carriage B thus giving a relatively permanent connection between the plunger carriage and one end of the lever, though by means of the linkage obviously wide variation in operation is permit-ted.

Projecting from the typewriter carriage B is a bracket D. This bracket is slotted I longitudinally on its underside parallel with the movement of the typewriter carriage as indicated at D. The opposed sides of this slot are overlain by removable guide plates D held in place by screws D and the adj ustable pivot block D is flanged to engage the slot D and to be held in position by the guide plates D This pivot block is perforated and interiorly threaded as at D. D is a lead screw rotatably mounted in the plate D on the end of the bracket D held against longitudinal movement by means of an integral flange D on one side of the plate D and a ring D held in position by a pin D on the other side. The end of the screw projecting beyond the ring D is slotted as at D so that it may be manipulated by a screw driver or other suitable means to move the pivot block D longitudinally with respect to the travel of the typewriter carriage. D is a link pivoted at one end on the lever C and at the other end on the block D, the links D and C being as shown of equal length.

It will be evident that while I have shown in my drawings an operative device, still many changes might be made in the size, shape, number, arrangement and disposition of parts without departing materially from the spirit of my invention and I wish, therefore, that my showing be taken as in a sense diagrammatic and that this adjustable lever connection may be used, while shown primarily as applied to a type casting machine operated by a typewriter carriage, equally well in connection with any apparatus or any mechanism where one moving member drives or controls another moving member and wherein it is desired to give different rates of travel to the two members.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

The typewriter is operated in the usual manner and the typewriter carriage travels back and forth subject to the ordinary typewriter operation. Since the connecting lever is on a fixed pivot and since there is a link between each end of the connecting lever and the typewriter carriage and the plunger carriage respectively, every movement of the typewriter carriage will be imparted to the plunger carriage. In the arrangement shown, since the pivot for the lever is intermediate its two ends, the movement of the two carriages will be in the opposite direction. If the fulcrum of the lever is equidistant between the points at which power is appliedto thetwo moving members and if the two arms of the lever are the same, then movement of the two carriages or two moving members will be the same but in opposite directions because the angularity of the lever with respect to both of them and the angularity of each link at each end will be the same.

If it is desired to impart a different motion to the two moving members, this may be accomplished either by changing both the position of the lever fulcrum and the length of the lever arms by pivoting the lever to its fulcrum pad at different selected points or by separately changing the pivot with respect to the lever alone or with respect to the pad alone or by making any desired combination of said adjustments. This. requires certain longitudinal displacement of the lever which is compensated for by the link connection between the two ends of the lever and the moving members and may in order to zero the two moving members also require manipulation of the position of the pivot point of the link on one of the carriages. In this case, preferably on the typewriter carriage. By the arrangement shown, a wide range of adjustment is permitted and it will be noted that this wide range of adjustment is such that the movement of one carriage or one member responsive to the other will always bear the same relation independent of their relative positions in their travel. In other words the relation is the same at either end of the typewriter carriage travel as at the central position..

Experience shows that it is important to have the two links of equal. length because under some circumstances at least especially if there is a wide difference between the length of the two lever arms on opposed sides of the fulcrum, difficulties will arise in conneetion with the angularity of the connecting rod with respect to the line of travel of the two carriages which will be accentuated un less the links are of equal length.

I claim:

1. A driving member, a driven member, a lever interposed between them and pivoted at a point removed from them, links interposed between each member and the end of the lever adjacent thereto, means for adjusting the pivot point of the link on one of the members in one direction parallel with its line of movement, means for changing the relative lengths of the two arms of the lever and means for shifting the pivot point of the lever along a line inclined to the line of movement of the members.

2. A driving member, a driven member,-a lever interposed between them and pivoted at a point removed from them, links interposed between each member and the end of the lever adj acentthereto, means for adjusting the pivot point of the link on one of the members in one direction parallel with its line of movement, means for changing the relative lengths of the two arms of the lever and means for shifting the pivot point of the lever along a line inclined to the line of movement of the members, the means for shifting the pivot point of the lever comprising a fulcrum block having a plurality of threaded holes arranged along its axis along a line inclined to the line of movement of the members. I

3. The combination with a typewriter having a movable carriage of a separatecarriage adapted to move along a line parallel therewith, a driving connection between them comprising a lever, a link between one end of the-lever and the typewriter carriage and between the other end of the lever and the movable carriage, said links being normally inclined to the line of movement of said carriages, a fulcrum pad intermediate the carriages upon which the link is pivotally mounted, the pad being inclined to the horizontal and to the line of movement of the carriages.

4. The combination with a typewriter having a movable carriage of a separate carriage adapted to move along a line parallel therewith, a driving connection between them comprising alever, a link between one end sit the lever and the typewriter carriage and between the other end of the lever and the movable carriage, said links being normally inclined to the line of movement of said carriages, a fulcrum pad intermediate the carriages upon which the link is pivotally mounted, the pad being inclined to the horizontal and to the line of movement 01 the CHESTER A. MAGOMIC. 

